Historic 1909 Colorado mountain inn with documented multiple paranormal entities
8136 Brook Forest Rd, Evergreen, CO 80439
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Bed and breakfast rates vary by season and room selection
Access
Wheelchair OK
Mountain setting on 350 acres, uneven terrain
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1909 · 1909 Homestead to 1919 Inn Conversion · National Register of Historic Places 2009 · Continuously Operating Mountain Inn · Colorado Hospitality Pioneer
The Brook Forest Inn occupies a parcel of Colorado mountain property with a documented history spanning over a century. The origins trace to 1909 when a small cabin was constructed on 350 acres that had been filed as a homestead by the Westerfield family. The harsh Colorado winters proved an unexpected adversary; a particularly severe winter forced the family to abandon their land and homestead claim.
In the aftermath of Westerfield departure, Edwin and Riggi Welz discovered the vacant property and saw opportunity. The Welzes took possession of the land and initiated development toward commercial hospitality use. In 1919, they formally opened the Brook Forest Inn, positioning it as a destination for mountain travelers seeking respite and lodging. The property's amenities—running water, electricity, and private bathing facilities—represented significant advantages during the early 20th century, attracting clientele from Denver's growing urban population.
The inn's architectural character reflects its origins: a three-story timber-and-stone structure designed to harmonize with the mountain landscape while providing durable shelter for Colorado's variable climate. The building's construction employed local materials and craftsmanship typical of early 20th-century mountain resort architecture.
From 1919 onward, the Brook Forest Inn operated continuously as a hospitality establishment, with the exception of brief periods when circumstances forced closure. This continuity of operation across over a century distinguishes the property as one of Colorado's oldest continuously operating mountain inns.
The interior was progressively appointed with unique décor and features appropriate to mountain hospitality: sixteen distinct guest rooms, many featuring either jetted bathtubs or vintage claw-foot tubs reflecting various historical periods. The architectural integrity of the original structure was maintained while modernizing specific systems for guest comfort.
On July 29, 2009—nearly a century after its opening—the Brook Forest Inn was formally recognized by inclusion on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. This official recognition affirmed the structure's cultural and historical significance.
Paradoxically, the inn's historical longevity and authentic period architecture may contribute to its haunted reputation. The building's age, its authentic materials and design, and its consistent operation through Colorado's transformative 20th-century history create an atmospheric environment where historical events seem to echo in physical space.
Sources
The Brook Forest Inn's paranormal reputation rests on substantial documentation of multiple distinct hauntings, each with historical anchoring to specific tragic events. Unlike many haunted locations relying on folklore or unsubstantiated claims, the Brook Forest Inn's paranormal activity has been investigated by organized paranormal research groups that published findings.
**Third Floor Hauntings:**
The most extensively documented paranormal activity centers on the third floor, where two spirits are identified through historical research and witness accounts. Jessica, a chambermaid employed at the inn, became romantically involved with Carl, a stable hand also working on the property. The relationship reached a catastrophic conclusion in 1943 when Carl, discovering infidelity or suspected infidelity, murdered Jessica. The exact circumstances remain imprecisely documented, but the result was definitively fatal.
Immediately following Jessica's death, Carl retreated to the livery stable and took his own life through hanging, unable to endure the psychological consequences of his violent act. Both deaths—separated by hours—imprinted profoundly on the location.
Witnesses on the third floor report sensing a female presence, most often characterized as a cold spot accompanying an emotional weight of sadness or resignation. Some visitors describe hearing female whispers or soft vocalizations. The apparition is occasionally perceived in human form, typically described as translucent or misty.
Carl's presence on the third floor is characterized as more assertive. Guests and staff describe cold presences on the stairwell ascending to the third floor, suggesting protective barriers or warning manifestations. Some accounts describe a masculine shadow or partially visible figure, though detailed visual descriptions remain sparse.
A third entity on the third floor is identified as a mischievous child spirit, reportedly a child guest who died from influenza or similar illness during the inn's operational history. This spirit is characterized by playful or attention-seeking behavior: sounds of running feet in hallways late at night, objects moved from their original positions, and a general sense of youthful mischief rather than malevolent intent.
**Second Floor Haunting:**
Paranormal activity extends to the second floor, specifically identified with Carl's wife, who allegedly died in a particular room under violent circumstances. The story holds that Carl, discovering his wife's infidelity, killed her in this location. Paranormal investigators—specifically the AFSPR (American Foundation for Scientific Paranormal Research) and RMPRS (Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society)—conducted investigations in the identified room and documented significant magnetic anomalies inconsistent with the building's normal electromagnetic environment.
Guests reporting experiences in this room describe overwhelming cold, sensations of dread or pressure, and some report psychosomatic experiences of physical distress resembling being strangled or suffocated.
**Investigation Documentation:**
The involvement of paranormal research organizations lends credibility to the accounts. The AFSPR announced plans to present comprehensive findings from their investigation, indicating systematic documentation rather than anecdotal reporting. The documentation of magnetic anomalies through scientific instrumentation provides measurable evidence supplementing witness testimony.
**Manifestation Patterns:**
The paranormal phenomena at Brook Forest Inn display characteristics of both residual and intelligent hauntings. The recurring patterns—cold spots on specific stairs, the sound of running feet in the same hallway—suggest residual activity, moments of trauma replaying endlessly. Conversely, the directed apparitions, the apparent blocking of hallway passage, and the playful nature of the child spirit suggest awareness and intentional interaction with living occupants.
The emotional quality of these hauntings—the sadness of Jessica's death, the guilt or torment surrounding Carl's crimes and suicide, the innocent playfulness of the child—creates an emotionally resonant environment consistent with trauma-based hauntings.
Notable Entities
Experience the Brook Forest Inn's 16 uniquely decorated rooms, many with jetted tubs or vintage claw-foot bathtubs. Stay in a building constructed in 1909 with documented paranormal activity across three floors. Check-in from 4:00 PM, checkout at 4:00 PM. Guests may experience the presence of multiple spirits reported throughout the property.
Dine in the historic inn restaurant while experiencing the atmospheric setting where paranormal activity has been documented. The property's long operational history provides continuity with the events that shaped its haunted reputation.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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